What does it mean to sponsor parents and grandparents?
When you sponsor persons who are members of the family class, you must sign an undertaking with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (or with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) if you live in Quebec).
The undertaking is a promise to provide financial support and basic requirements for the family members you are sponsoring.
Basic requirements are:
- food
- clothing
- utilities
- personal requirements
- shelter
- fuel
- household supplies
The undertaking ensures that these persons and their family members do not have to apply for social assistance. The length of undertaking for sponsorship of parents, grandparents and their accompanying dependents is 20 years.
Your obligations as a sponsor begin on the day the person you are sponsoring and, if applicable, their family members, become permanent residents of Canada. A change in circumstances (e.g., marital breakdown, separation, divorce, family rifts, unemployment, change in financial circumstances or death of the principal applicant in cases in which there are accompanying family members) does not nullify the undertaking; sponsors (and co- signers) remain obligated to provide basic requirements for the period of the undertaking.
Guide 5772 – Application to Sponsor Parents and Grandparents - Canada.ca
Guide 5772 - Application to Sponsor Parents and Grandparents
